susan_p(2019-05-24). France's 'Yellow Vests': 6 months of struggle.greenleft.org.au I am writing from Montpellier, France, where I am a participant-observer in the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) movement, which is still going strong after six months, despite a dearth of information in the international media. | For more than two centuries France has been the classic model for social innovation, and this unique, original social movement has enormous international significance. | The Yellow Vests have already succeeded in shattering the capitalist myth of "representative democracy" in the age of neoliberalism. Their uprising has unmasked the lies and violence of republican government, as well as the…

Robert Scheer(2019-05-24). The Americanization of Popular Culture Should Terrify Us All.truthdig.comThe verdict is in, and Hollywood has won the global culture wars, according to Violaine Roussel, a French scholar and professor who has had unusual access to the California entertainment industry. In her view, American culture, packaged neatly in film and television for global consumption, has cast a shadow over cultural products in much of the world. | "The influence of Hollywood has definitely grown these past years, these past decades," the University of Paris profe…

Musa al-Gharbi(2019-05-24). Hillary's call for Chinese meddling in 2020 is no joking matter.nationofchange.orgThis article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. | In a recent appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, Hillary Clinton suggested China should try to access Donald Trump's tax returns and leak them to the press. | "Why should Russia have all the fun? And since Russia is clearly backing Republicans, why don't we ask China to back us [Democrats]?" She continued, "China, if you're listening, why don't you get Trump's tax returns? I'm sure our media would richly rew…

Russell Mokhiber(2019-05-24). The Boeing Way: Blaming Dead Pilots.counterpunch.org The House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation held an oversight hearing last week on the two recent Boeing 737 MAX airplane crashes. Testifying were the heads of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Asking questions and making statements were 39 members of the House — 22 Democrats and 17 Republicans More

Jesse Jackson(2019-05-24). Extremist Laws, Like Alabama's, Will Hit Poor Women the Hardest.counterpunch.orgAlabama — led by utterly clueless male legislators — just passed the most restrictive ban on abortion in the country, with Georgia and Missouri piling on. Other states dominated by right-wing Republican politicians are jockeying to join in. Their aim is to get the courts, newly packed with right-wing judges appointed by Trump, to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark precedent that More

plenglish(2019-05-24). All Dams in Brazil Are Unsafe, Minister Warns.plenglish.comBrasilia, May 24 (Prensa Latina) The almost 2,000 dams registered in Brazil can be considered currently unsafe, said the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, during his statement in the Senate Environment Committee.

Staff(2019-05-24). Ralph Nader: We Know Exactly Who Gave Us Trump.truthdig.comDonald J. Trump's presidential ambition has simmered for decades. He was and is a regular TV watcher and saw the changing political landscape. One by one, previous presidents diminished the integrity of the presidency and violated the rule of law, paving the way for Trump's candidacy. | Bill Clinton was exposed for serial adulteries and abuses of women and lied under oath. This perjury led to him being impeached in the House (though he was acquitted in the Senate). "Hmm," thought Donald, a serial abuser of women, "Clinton got away with it an…

Mark Gruenberg(2019-05-24). Will impeachment stop Trump's war…on us?peoplesworld.org Will congressional impeachment of President Donald Trump, even if the cowed and cowardly GOP Senate majority doesn't convict him, stop his war…on all of us? At the very least, doing so could throw a big monkey wrench into Trump's ravages. There has been a long and justified argument over whether the president committed impeachable offenses …

Staff(2019-05-24). Senators Release Plan to Lower Health Costs, End Surprise Bills.truthout.orgIn a year already marked by a wide variety of congressional health care legislation, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chair and ranking Democrat of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Thursday released the details of a plan they hope can help bring down health costs and eliminate surprise medical bills for patients. | "These are common sense steps we can take, and every single one of them has the objective of reducing the health care costs that you pay for out of your own pocket," Alexander said in a statement. "We hope to move it through the health committee…

Staff(2019-05-24). While War Drums Beat, Trump Wants to Keep Congress in the Dark.truthout.orgAt his hastily arranged Rose Garden press conference on Wednesday, President Trump made a patently laughable claim. "I am the most transparent President in U.S. history," he protested. But as part of his conspiratorial war against the so-called deep state, Trump has threatened the political neutrality of the military by directing the Department of Defense to decide for itself what is legislatively necessary for Congress to do its constitutionally-mandated job of oversight. | There hasn't been a real secretary of defense for five months, since Jim Mattis left the Cabinet abruptly under disturbing circumstances…

ACLU(2019-05-24). When President Trump Rejects Congressional Subpoenas, He Rejects the Constitution and the Powers it Gave Congress.aclu.orgWhat President Trump objects to so strenuously is nothing more than a system of accountability. | President Trump really, really doesn't like the fact that congressional committees are investigating him. On Wednesday, he was so mad that he stormed out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about critically needed infrastructure legislation after only three minutes, much like the proverbial boy who takes the football home if he loses a disputed call. | Trump's tantrum reflects the fact that the American people and their representatives are getting closer to seeing behind the curtain of secrecy that Trump has…

Art Shields(2019-05-24). Real history: Memorial Day was born in struggle against the Klan.peoplesworld.org We must not forget that Memorial Day, which we celebrate on Monday, belongs to the foes of racism. The day people place flowers on the graves of fallen veterans was founded by the enemies of the Ku Klux Klan. Memorial Day belongs to the democratic traditions of the American people. It sprang out of the …

susan_p(2019-05-24). European elections: Either Macron or Salvini?greenleft.org.au The May 26 elections to the 751-seat European Parliament are just around the corner, and conservative, liberal and social democratic camps in the European Union (EU) are all sounding the alarm. | Writing for the mainstream European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on May 16, Susi Dennison and Mark Leonard expressed their panic: | "There are seven days to resolve the paradox at the heart of the European project. Support for EU membership is at a record high — two-thirds of Europeans currently believe it is a good thing, the largest share since 1983 — and yet a majority also fears that the EU might c…

Norman Solomon(2019-05-24). Will Biden's Dog Whistles for Racism Catch Up with Him?counterpunch.org In a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell described in 1984 as the willingness "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." It is an inconvenient fact that Biden More

Staff(2019-05-24). Three Ways To Discipline Corporate Global Governors (Pt 2/2).therealnews.com No stakeholder-based global governance system comes close to matching the democratic legitimacy of a citizen-based and nation-state-based governance system, says Harris Gleckman, who advocates three alternatives to the current corporate-driven multi-stakeholder system and its self-selected global governors…

Yanis Varoufakis(2019-05-24). The Left Refuses to Get Its Act Together in the Face of Neofascism.counterpunch.orgMore than three years ago, on 9 February 2016, around a thousand of us gathered at a magnificent theatre in Berlin's city centre, built originally by workers to stage progressive theatrical productions. On that night, we founded a pan-European, transnational, progressive, democratic movement that we named Diem25, or Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. This week More

Norman Solomon(2019-05-24). Will Biden's dog whistles for racism catch up with him?nationofchange.orgIn | a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is | running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential | nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell | described in 1984 as the willingness | "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." | It | is an inconvenient fact that Biden has a political history of blowing into dog | whistles for racism. More than ever, the Democratic electorate is repelled by that | kind of pitch. If his dog-whistling past becomes a major issue, the former vice | president and his defende…

Andrew Levine(2019-05-24). The (Small-d) Democrat's Dilemma.counterpunch.org The Trump presidency has been a disaster for the country and the world; a second Trump term would be calamitous. The menace must be stopped. The sad fact is, though, that for Trump to lose in 2020, a (big-D) Democrat will have to win. This means that the responsible thing for (small-d) democrats to do More

Democracy Now!(2019-05-23). Leaked OPCW Report Raises New Questions About 2018 Chemical Attack in Douma, Syria.democracynow.org The State Department said Tuesday that the Syrian government may have used chemical weapons during recent fighting in Idlib. The State Department warned that the United States and its allies would respond quickly and appropriately if it is determined that chemical weapons have been used. This all comes as new questions are being raised about an alleged chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma last year. The Syrian government was accused of dropping two gas cylinders on the city, killing dozens of people. The U.S. and allies responded by carrying out airstrikes. But a newly leaked internal document from the Or…

Middle East Eye(2019-05-23). US Calls for Syrian Ceasefire as Chemical Attack Claim Quickly Countered.theantimedia.com(MEE) — A war monitor has countered US suspicions of a Syrian government chemical attack, as a senior American official called for a ceasefire amid heavy fighting in northwestern Syria. Washington late on Tuesday said it had seen signs that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be using chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack, …

Jordan Smith(2019-05-23). Women's Health Protection Act Would Stop State Attacks on Abortion Access.theintercept.comStanding outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning, congressional lawmakers announced the introduction of the Women's Health Protection Act, which pushes back against the flood of abortion restrictions and outright bans on access that have been moving at a record pace through state legislatures. | The bill "enshrines" in federal law "a woman's right to receive abortion services and a provider's right to perform abortion," said Rep. Judy Chu, a lead sponsor of the bill. "Our bill finally puts a stop to the state-based attacks that anti-abortion advocates have been trying to use to undermine or even reverse Roe…

Venezuela Analysis(2019-05-23). Maduro Proposes Early Elections for Venezuela's National Assembly.theantimedia.com(VA) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro proposed holding early parliamentary elections as a way to defuse the country's political crisis. "Let's see who gets the most votes! Let's find a political, constitutional and democratic path forward," Maduro said at the end of a march on Monday commemorating the anniversary of his reelection on May 20, 2018 to …

Leaked OPCW report raises new questions about 2018 chemical attack in Douma, Syria
Amy Goodman | nationofchange.org | 2019-05-24
A newly leaked internal document from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reveals there were conflicting views within the organization as to what happened.nationofchange.org/2019/05/24/leaked-opc…

'Without Putin, Syria Would Have Ceased to Exist': Interview with Flemish Priest Living in Syria
Fr Daniel Maes | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-24
The text of this interview was published by Global Research on June 15, 2017 | According to the Flemish Father Daniel Maes, who has lived in Syria since 2010, the coverage of the Syrian war is based on lies. President …globalresearch.ca/without-putin-syria-wo…

Trump's charges against Assange are historic attack on press freedoms. Media and Obama helped set the stage
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-05-24
It is not just Trump, but the media, Obama, Bush, mainstream "human rights" organizations, Republicans and Democrats alike that put…thegrayzone.com/2019/05/24/trump-charges…

The Boeing Way: Blaming Dead Pilots
Russell Mokhiber | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
The House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation held an oversight hearing last week on the two recent Boeing 737 MAX airplane crashes. Testifying were the heads of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Asking questions and making statements were 39 members of the House — 22 Democrats and 17 Republicans…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-boeing-w…

Extremist Laws, Like Alabama's, Will Hit Poor Women the Hardest
Jesse Jackson | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
Alabama — led by utterly clueless male legislators — just passed the most restrictive ban on abortion in the country, with Georgia and Missouri piling on. Other states dominated by right-wing Republican politicians are jockeying to join in. Their aim is to get the courts, newly packed with right-wing judges appointed by Trump, to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark precedent that…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/extremist-la…

France's 'Yellow Vests': 6 months of struggle
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-05-24
I am writing from Montpellier, France, where I am a participant-observer in the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) movement, which is still going strong after six months, despite a dearth of information in the international media. | For more than two centuries France has been the classic model for social innovation, and this unique, original social movement has enormous international significance. | The Yellow Vests have already succeeded in shattering the capitalist myth of "representative democracy" in the age of neoliberalism. Their uprising has unmasked the lies and violence of republican government, as well as the…greenleft.org.au/content/france-yellow-vests-6-months-struggle

Hillary's call for Chinese meddling in 2020 is no joking matter
Musa al-Gharbi | nationofchange.org | 2019-05-24
This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. | In a recent appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, Hillary Clinton suggested China should try to access Donald Trump's tax returns and leak them to the press. | "Why should Russia have all the fun? And since Russia is clearly backing Republicans, why don't we ask China to back us [Democrats]?" She continued, "China, if you're listening, why don't you get Trump's tax returns? I'm sure our media would richly rew…nationofchange.org/2019/05/24/hillarys-c…

All Dams in Brazil Are Unsafe, Minister Warnsplenglish.com | 2019-05-24
Brasilia, May 24 (Prensa Latina) The almost 2,000 dams registered in Brazil can be considered currently unsafe, said the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, during his statement in the Senate Environment Committee.www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id…

Congress, White House Move Disaster Relief for Puerto Rico, US States and Territories
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2019-05-24
On Thursday, the Senate passed a $19.1 billion disaster relief plan to aid Americans recovering from natural disasters in US Territories like Puerto Rico and States including Iowa. The House of Representatives and the White House are expected to approve the Senate plan.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/05/23/1882358…

Will impeachment stop Trump's war…on us?
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-05-24
Will congressional impeachment of President Donald Trump, even if the cowed and cowardly GOP Senate majority doesn't convict him, stop his war…on all of us? At the very least, doing so could throw a big monkey wrench into Trump's ravages. There has been a long and justified argument over whether the president committed impeachable offenses …peoplesworld.org/article/trumps-war-on-u…

Ralph Nader: We Know Exactly Who Gave Us Trump
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-05-24
Donald J. Trump's presidential ambition has simmered for decades. He was and is a regular TV watcher and saw the changing political landscape. One by one, previous presidents diminished the integrity of the presidency and violated the rule of law, paving the way for Trump's candidacy. | Bill Clinton was exposed for serial adulteries and abuses of women and lied under oath. This perjury led to him being impeached in the House (though he was acquitted in the Senate). "Hmm," thought Donald, a serial abuser of women, "Clinton got away with it an…truthdig.com/articles/ralph-nader-we-kno…

When President Trump Rejects Congressional Subpoenas, He Rejects the Constitution and the Powers it Gave Congressaclu.org | 2019-05-24
What President Trump objects to so strenuously is nothing more than a system of accountability. | President Trump really, really doesn't like the fact that congressional committees are investigating him. On Wednesday, he was so mad that he stormed out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about critically needed infrastructure legislation after only three minutes, much like the proverbial boy who takes the football home if he loses a disputed call. | Trump's tantrum reflects the fact that the American people and their representatives are getting closer to seeing behind the curtain of secrecy that Trump has…aclu.org/blog/executive-branch/when-pres…

While War Drums Beat, Trump Wants to Keep Congress in the Dark
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-05-24
At his hastily arranged Rose Garden press conference on Wednesday, President Trump made a patently laughable claim. "I am the most transparent President in U.S. history," he protested. But as part of his conspiratorial war against the so-called deep state, Trump has threatened the political neutrality of the military by directing the Department of Defense to decide for itself what is legislatively necessary for Congress to do its constitutionally-mandated job of oversight. | There hasn't been a real secretary of defense for five months, since Jim Mattis left the Cabinet abruptly under disturbing circumstances…truthout.org/articles/while-war-drums-be…

NASA exec in charge of Artemis moon mission quits after just 6 weeks, 'escorted out of HQ'rt.com | 2019-05-24
Mark Sirangelo, who joined NASA less than two months ago as special assistant to agency chief Jim Bridenstine on the Artemis project, has left his post after his proposal for a "sustainable lunar campaign" was nixed by Congress. | …rt.com/usa/460139-nasa-moon-exec-quits-a…

Peace with Iran Is a Good Thing
Renee Parsons | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-24
After weeks of drama with Iranian 'threats' and having conducted classified briefings with Congress on Tuesday, acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by his side, informed a press briefing that | "there will be | …globalresearch.ca/peace-iran/5678387

Senators Release Plan to Lower Health Costs, End Surprise Bills
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-05-24
In a year already marked by a wide variety of congressional health care legislation, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chair and ranking Democrat of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Thursday released the details of a plan they hope can help bring down health costs and eliminate surprise medical bills for patients. | "These are common sense steps we can take, and every single one of them has the objective of reducing the health care costs that you pay for out of your own pocket," Alexander said in a statement. "We hope to move it through the health committee…truthout.org/articles/sen-alexander-rele…

Will Biden's Dog Whistles for Racism Catch Up with Him?
Norman Solomon | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
In a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell described in 1984 as the willingness "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." It is an inconvenient fact that Biden…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/will-bidens-…

European elections: Either Macron or Salvini?
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-05-24
The May 26 elections to the 751-seat European Parliament are just around the corner, and conservative, liberal and social democratic camps in the European Union (EU) are all sounding the alarm. | Writing for the mainstream European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on May 16, Susi Dennison and Mark Leonard expressed their panic: | "There are seven days to resolve the paradox at the heart of the European project. Support for EU membership is at a record high — two-thirds of Europeans currently believe it is a good thing, the largest share since 1983 — and yet a majority also fears that the EU might c…greenleft.org.au/content/european-elections-either-macron-or-salvini

The Left Refuses to Get Its Act Together in the Face of Neofascism
Yanis Varoufakis | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
More than three years ago, on 9 February 2016, around a thousand of us gathered at a magnificent theatre in Berlin's city centre, built originally by workers to stage progressive theatrical productions. On that night, we founded a pan-European, transnational, progressive, democratic movement that we named Diem25, or Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. This week…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-left-ref…

New charges against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act criminalize journalismwsws.org | 2019-05-24
The Trump administration's persecution of Assange is a historic attack on the First Amendment of the US constitution, for which the media and the Democratic Party share responsibility.www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/24/pers…

The (Small-d) Democrat's Dilemma
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
The Trump presidency has been a disaster for the country and the world; a second Trump term would be calamitous. The menace must be stopped. The sad fact is, though, that for Trump to lose in 2020, a (big-D) Democrat will have to win. This means that the responsible thing for (small-d) democrats to do…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-small-d-…

Real history: Memorial Day was born in struggle against the Klan
Art Shields | peoplesworld.org | 2019-05-24
We must not forget that Memorial Day, which we celebrate on Monday, belongs to the foes of racism. The day people place flowers on the graves of fallen veterans was founded by the enemies of the Ku Klux Klan. Memorial Day belongs to the democratic traditions of the American people. It sprang out of the …peoplesworld.org/article/real-history-me…

Three Ways To Discipline Corporate Global Governors (Pt 2/2)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-05-24
No stakeholder-based global governance system comes close to matching the democratic legitimacy of a citizen-based and nation-state-based governance system, says Harris Gleckman, who advocates three alternatives to the current corporate-driven multi-stakeholder system and its self-selected global governors…therealnews.com/stories/three-ways-to-di…

Will Biden's dog whistles for racism catch up with him?
Norman Solomon | nationofchange.org | 2019-05-24
In | a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is | running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential | nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell | described in 1984 as the willingness | "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." | It | is an inconvenient fact that Biden has a political history of blowing into dog | whistles for racism. More than ever, the Democratic electorate is repelled by that | kind of pitch. If his dog-whistling past becomes a major issue, the former vice | president and his defende…nationofchange.org/2019/05/24/will-biden…

The 2020 Election Sweepstakes Begin. Let's Keep Israel and the Phony Claims of Anti-Semitism Out of It
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-24
The more than twenty Democrats who are seeking to become their party's presidential candidate in 2020 have been more than a little reticent about the foreign policy of the United States. There has been some muttering from the more progressive …globalresearch.ca/2020-sweepstakes-begin…

UN honours peacekeepers who 'paid the ultimate price', for the sake of others
United Nations | un.org | 2019-05-24
Ever since the UN deployed the first of its 72 peacekeeping missions back in 1948, more than 3,800 peacekeepers have lost their lives, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday, at a wreath laying ceremony in honour of those "brave men and women" who serve.news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/05/1…

Washington revives Syria chemical weapons propaganda as pretext for warwsws.org | 2019-05-23
The threat of a new US attack on Syria follows a report exposing the last chemical weapons incident attributed to the Syrian government as a staged provocation.www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/23/pers…

Video: Al Qaeda Militants Develop Large-scale Advance on Syria Army Positions
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-23
Militant groups are attacking key military and civilian infrastructure in the government-controlled area. | The Reconciliation Center for Syria revealed that militants launched 17 rockets at the Russian Hmeimim airbase early on May 22. 8 rockets did not reach the base. …globalresearch.ca/militants-develop-larg…

US Calls for Syrian Ceasefire as Chemical Attack Claim Quickly Countered
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2019-05-23
(MEE) — A war monitor has countered US suspicions of a Syrian government chemical attack, as a senior American official called for a ceasefire amid heavy fighting in northwestern Syria. Washington late on Tuesday said it had seen signs that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be using chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack, …

Leaked OPCW Report Raises New Questions About 2018 Chemical Attack in Douma, Syria
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-05-23
The State Department said Tuesday that the Syrian government may have used chemical weapons during recent fighting in Idlib. The State Department warned that the United States and its allies would respond quickly and appropriately if it is determined that chemical weapons have been used. This all comes as new questions are being raised about an alleged chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma last year. The Syrian government was accused of dropping two gas cylinders on the city, killing dozens of people. The U.S. and allies responded by carrying out airstrikes. But a newly leaked internal document from the Or…www.democracynow.org/2019/5/23/leaked_op…

Senate Committee Votes to Raise Defense Spending for Second Year in a Row to $750 Billion
Alex Emmons | theintercept.com | 2019-05-23
In some cases, the Senate bill exceeds Trump administration requests. It authorizes $10 billion for 94 F-35 Fighters — 16 more than the Pentagon asked for.theintercept.com/2019/05/23/defense-spen…

Women's Health Protection Act Would Stop State Attacks on Abortion Access
Jordan Smith | theintercept.com | 2019-05-23
Standing outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning, congressional lawmakers announced the introduction of the Women's Health Protection Act, which pushes back against the flood of abortion restrictions and outright bans on access that have been moving at a record pace through state legislatures. | The bill "enshrines" in federal law "a woman's right to receive abortion services and a provider's right to perform abortion," said Rep. Judy Chu, a lead sponsor of the bill. "Our bill finally puts a stop to the state-based attacks that anti-abortion advocates have been trying to use to undermine or even reverse Roe…theintercept.com/2019/05/23/abortion-wom…

DR Congo: 'No time to lose' says newly appointed UN Ebola response coordinator
United Nations | un.org | 2019-05-23
With the Democratic Republic of the Congo's worst ever Ebola outbreak now in its tenth month, the United Nations on Thursday announced measures to strengthen its response, with the Organization's newly appointed Emergency Coordinator (EERC) declaring there is "no time to lose".news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/05/1…

New Haven teachers strike enters fourth daywsws.org | 2019-05-23
To carry their struggle forward, New Haven teachers must break free from the pro-Democratic Party teachers' unions, which are preparing to sell them out in the same manner as in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento.www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/23/newh…

Britain: The Database State. Intrusive Surveillance
True Publica | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-23
Britain is a surveillance state, the worst in the democratic West. In a short period of time, it has amassed a rather sordid history of citizen surveillance — and it continues to be unlawful. Last September's damning judgement of British …globalresearch.ca/britain-the-database-s…

Maduro Proposes Early Elections for Venezuela's National Assembly
Venezuela Analysis | theantimedia.com | 2019-05-23
(VA) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro proposed holding early parliamentary elections as a way to defuse the country's political crisis. "Let's see who gets the most votes! Let's find a political, constitutional and democratic path forward," Maduro said at the end of a march on Monday commemorating the anniversary of his reelection on May 20, 2018 to …

How Duterte rigged the elections
| workers.org | 2019-05-23
May 14 statement by Jose Maria Sison, chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. As I have predicted, Duterte was successful in rigging the May 13 elections to deliver to his candidates a false victory in the crucial senatorial race. As I have pointed out, he . . . | Continue reading How Duterte rigged the elections at Workers.org…workers.org/2019/05/23/how-duterte-rigge…

Allan Nairn: Impeachment Inquiry Should Focus on Trump's Actual Atrocities, Not a Russia Plot
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-05-23
As a growing number of House Democrats are backing the impeachment of President Trump, we speak with investigative journalist Allan Nairn. He says an impeachment inquiry should focus on "the atrocities that Trump is committing daily"–from the death of children on the border to the gutting of environmental protections.www.democracynow.org/2019/5/23/allan_nai…

Connecticut's Democratic Governor Is Stonewalling a Bill That Would Make Phone Calls From Prison Free
Rachel M. Cohen | theintercept.com | 2019-05-23
With two weeks left in the legislative session, Gov. Ned Lamont has yet to express support for the bill, which is the first of its kind in the country.theintercept.com/2019/05/23/connecticut-…

Confused Pelosi says Trump needs 'intervention' but calls for 'common ground' with presidentrt.com | 2019-05-23
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Democrats should 'find common ground' with President Donald Trump, even as she called for an 'intervention' by his family and staff to save the country from him. | …rt.com/usa/460110-confused-pelosi-common…